Imprisoned lawyer and human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh returned to Evin Prison on Monday, January 21, after a brief furlough that began January 17.
Authorities had earlier told Sotoudeh that she would be granted a long furlough, but she was summoned to Evin Prison after only three days. Several other political prisoners have also been released on furlough over the past few days, including student activist Bahareh Hedayat; journalists Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, Ahmad Zeidabadi, Mahsa Amrabadi, and Massoud Bastani; and lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah.
Nasrin Sotoudeh furlough | Sotoudeh Swiftly Returned to Prison, More Political Prisoners Furloughed
Reza Khandan and Nasrin Sotoudeh
After Sotoudeh’s return to prison, her husband Reza Khandan wrote on his Facebook page that he suspected the urgency for Sotoudeh’s return to prison was related to news about a visit from members of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Commission to Evin Prison. Khandan asks rhetorically on his Facebook page why Sotoudeh was extended a furlough to begin with and replies, “We can